In places where winter exhales its coldest breath, people often speak of darkness not just as absence of light, but as a companion to every sleeping street and hush of dawn. This season in Ukraine has felt that way — a long, uninvited guest that settles deep into the bones of towns and cities, where warmth once rose from radiators and laughter once floated in candlelit kitchens. Life here has shifted, almost imperceptibly at first, until the hum of household routines we once took for granted has been replaced by generators’ quiet drone and the crackle of blankets drawn tight against shivering shoulders.

Across broad swaths of the country, Russia’s winter campaign against Ukraine’s energy infrastructure has cast familiar rhythms into shadow. Power outages and rolling blackouts now punctuate daily life in Kyiv, Kharkiv, Dnipro and other cities, sometimes plunging neighborhoods into darkness for hours under temperatures that dip well below freezing. In many places, the absence of electricity has meant the absence of heat, water supply disruptions and the shuttering of public services that once defined the measure of normal life.

For residents, these conditions have transformed ordinary comfort into a distant memory. One Kyiv resident described the strange new cadence of cold mornings, where layers of clothing and multiple blankets are companions throughout the night, and the chill can feel as deep as pain in the lungs. Parents wake early to stoke heaters and coax warmth into sleeping children, while elsewhere, teachers and volunteers open community warming centers powered by generators so that people may find brief respite from the creeping cold.

This winter’s offensive — larger and more sustained than in previous years, according to Ukrainian officials — appears as a deliberate effort to weaken both infrastructure and morale, striking at energy grids that are the lifeblood of civic life. Missiles and drones have damaged generating capacity and transmission networks across Ukraine, forcing millions to adapt to the hush of dimmed streets and to the rhythm of scheduled outages that make simple tasks like cooking, charging phones, and heating homes into calculated efforts.

Public spaces have become makeshift havens of light and warmth. In city squares, residents gather around portable heaters, and in school gymnasiums, families huddle together beneath scarves and coats, their breath visible in the chilled air. These moments of communal resilience, marked by the low gleam of candles and the buzz of shared generators, speak to the adaptability of daily life even in times of hardship.

Local officials, including the mayor of Ukraine’s capital, have reported thousands of apartment buildings without heating and electricity following major strikes that damaged energy facilities. Government teams work around the clock to restore heat and power where possible, often making incremental progress amid the broader challenge of a severely degraded grid.

Beyond the physical cold, there is an emotional chill that accompanies the prolonged uncertainty. Families adapt rituals to make the most of limited warmth, neighbors check on the elderly and infirm, and volunteers deliver hot meals to those unable to venture far from their homes. In these small acts of care, the human dimension of endurance shines through — a warm ember amid frostbitten streets.

Yet as winter deepens, so too do Ukraine’s efforts to sustain life against the odds. Peace talks continue under the shadow of war, with mediators and officials attempting to secure pauses in hostilities that could ease the strain on essential infrastructure. Diplomatic discussions — including planned negotiations involving Ukraine, Russia and third-party mediators — seek to address both the immediate crisis and the longer arc of conflict that has now entered its fourth year.

In the practical dealings of everyday life, citizens press on. Shops open under emergency power, clinics treat those in need by candlelight and families measure out hope one warm meal at a time. The resilience of these routines — humble yet resolute — has become its own quiet testament to the enduring spirit of a people living amid shadow and cold.

In straight terms, Ukraine is enduring widespread power and heating disruptions this winter as Russia intensifies attacks on energy infrastructure. Officials report millions affected by outages, with efforts to restore services ongoing. U.S.-backed peace talks are scheduled to resume, seeking broader resolutions to the conflict’s challenges.

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Sources ABC News Reuters Associated Press The Guardian Reuters